Railway switch



R. M. EVANS RAILWAY SWITC I-l Dec. 27, 1927.

Filed Dec. 23, 1925 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

ROBERT M. EVANS, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

Application filed December 23, 1925. Serial No. 77,223.

This invention relates to improvements in railway switch constructionand more articularly to a switch for ail roadslai 1n pavement; it beingthe principal object of the present invention to provide a double tongueswitch from which the usual pivot pins for the switch tongues have beenelilnlhated and wherein the tongues are provlded with flanges throughouttheir lengths that n are adapted to seat beneath the ball 17011310115ofthe stock rails of the main or switch track in such manner as to efiectively sustain the tongues and to distribute the pressure, that isexerted thereagainst, over an extended pressure at a single point, as isthe case in constructions using the pivot pins for anchoring the switchtongues.

Other objects of the invention reside in the e details oi constructionof the switch tongues and associated parts, the manner of and means forsupporting the tongues functionally in position and the switch operatingmechanism as described in the following specification.

In accomplishing these and other obJects of the invention, I haveprovided the 1mproved details of construction, the preferred terms ofwhich areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 isa plan view of a double tongue switch embodied by the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on theline 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken on line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the switch tongues. s Referringmore in detail to the several views of the drawings- 1 and 1' designatethe rails of the main line traclst at one side of the switch, 1 and 1the rails of main line track atthe other side of the switch, 2 and 2'the rails of the switch track, 3 a stock rail that is laid as a continuation of rail 1 and which connects the latter with tail 2 of the switchtrack 3, a stock rail laid as a continuation of rail 1 and whichconnects it with rail 1 of the main track, 4 and 4 are the switch.tongues which, at their base end, connect, respectively, with rails 1and2 and at their points are adapted to be moved into such relation withrails 3 and 3' as to cause cars moved thereover to be di- Jail length asdistinguished from sustaining the rected onto the switch. track or tocontinue on the main track. Guard rails 5 and 5' are spaced within theswitch tongues, as is cUS- toniary, and these are joined to the rails 3and 3 by bed plates 6 which underlie them at eachside of the i-nvitchwThe bed plates extend the length of the guard rails, as shown in Figure1, and are joined securely to the base flanges of the guard rails andrails 3 and 3 by rivets 7. The switch tongues are held in place byhearing against the guard rails 5 and 5 and rails 3 and 3 and thus thebed plates serve to prevent spreading apart due to lateral thrustincidental to switching from one track to the other.

The gist of the present invention resides principally in the details ofconstruction of the switch tongues and in the means of support whichmakes possible the elimination of pivot )ins at their base ends. Theyare sup ported for lateral, slidable movement upon. tiller blocks 8 thatare disposed in close rela -i tion between the ails 3 and 3 and theguard rails adjacent thereto. These blocks are fitted snugly between thebase flanges and vertical webs of these rails and rest upon the flangesandbed plates 6, as shown best in Figure 3, and thus serve substantialsu ports for the tongues when in either switc ing position.

Along their outer edges the tongues are equipped with longitudinallyextending flanges 10 which are adapted, when the tongues are in thedilicrent switching positions, to engage against the vertical websbeneath the ball portions or the rails 3 and 3', that is, when thetongues arc in that position, as shown in Figure 1, which provides forcars passing through the switch in the direction of the arrow, tocontinue on the main track, the flange 10 formed along the outer side oftongue 4c bears, throughout the length oi the tongue against the underside of the ball of rail 3, while if the tongues were moved to theirother position to direct cars onto the switch traclgthe flange 10 on theouter side of tongue -l would likewise hear against the under side ofthe ball of rail 3, Thus, through the provision of these flanges. thetongues are held properly in place and the lateral pressure exertedagainst the tongues incidei'ital to a switching operation is distributedover an extended length of the rails 3 or 3 and is not directed towardor sus-- tained at any certain point The flanges 10 ill] ill)

are of suflicient width at the extreme base ends of the tongues thatthey are continually engaged with the rails 3 or 3' and thus retainthese ends of the tongues properly alined with rails 1 and 2.

Horizontally extendingbolts 12 have their their inner ends fixed inbosses 13, depending from the undersides of the tonguesnear" their baseends, and extend outwardly through openings 14 in the webs of the rails33' and at their outerends have coiled springslfi located therea-bout tobear against the rails and nuts 16 at their outer ends of the 'bolts toyieldably retain the base ends of the tongues against inward movement.The bolts and springs are enclosed in casings 18.

Along their inner edges, toward the'p oints of" the ton ues, they arelikewise prov with latera lyvprojectingflanges 19 adapted i to bearbeneath the ball portions of the guard rails 5" whenin dillerentswitching positions- This construction provides that when a car ismoving'from the switch track onto the. main trackin a direction oppositej ,to" the arrow, the tongues are moved from position, as shown inFigure 1 to a position at which flange "19' of tongue 4 bears againstthe, web andbeneath the ball portion of guard rail 5. If cars arepassing through the switch along the main track in a direction oppositeto the arrow, the flange 19 of tongue '47 likewise bears against guardrail 5'; Thus, these-latter flanges 19 serve to properly position theends of the tongues 1e; with respect to the rails 3'and 3' for movementof cars in opposite directions and-also sustain thetongues againstmovement too far inwardly.

At their movable ends the switch tongues are joined by a connecting rod20 that holds them inv roper spaced apart relation and by means 0 whichthey may be simultaneously actuated from one switchin position toanother. The, rod 20 exten s sufiiciently to one' s ideof the track forconnection with a.

suitable actuatinglever 21 or other switch mechanism whereby the tonguesmay be moved "andfheldfin set position. This lever or'mechanism would becontained'within a a I housing 22 a'nd rod 20 would be contained ina-housin'g 23.

tion thereto and in alinement with I claim as new therein and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main track and aswitch track,

a stock rail, a guard rail spaced within the stock rail, a switch tonguedisposed between the stock rail and guard rail having a horizontallyprojecting flange along one side thereof adapted, at the base end of thetongue, to engage with the stock rail as a means of retaining it inproper spaced rehswitch'rail, and, when the tongue is in switching.position, to engage throughout its length with the underedge of the ballof the stock rail.

2. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main trackand aswitch track,

the

a stock rail, a guard rail-spaced within the stock rail, :1 switchtongue disposed between the stock rail and guard rail havinga-horizontally projecting flange alongone side thereof adapted, at thebase end of the tongue, to engage with thestook rail as a means ofretaining it in proper spaced relation thereto and in alinement with theswitch rail, and, when the tongue is in switching position, to engagethroughout its length with the under edge of the ball of the stock rail,and ayieldable connection between the stock rail and switch tonguenearits base end for preventing lateral displacement of that end of thetongue toward the guard rail.

3. In a railway switch, in combination with rails of a main track and aswitch track, a stock rail,ra guard rail spaced within the stock rail,:1 switch tongue disposed between the stock rail and guard rail havingahorizont-ally projecting flange along one side thereof which at thebase end'of the tongue is adapted to engage with the web of the stockrail to retain it functionally in position, and when the tongue is inswitching position, to engagethroughout its length beneath the ball ofthe stock rail, saiditon uebeing also provided along its opposite -e goand near the point with a horizontally projecting flange adapted,whenthe tongue is not in switching position, 'to engage beneath the-ballof the guard rail, and a yieldable connection between the stock rail andswitch tongue near its base end.

4. In a railway switch in combination with rails of a main track and aswitch traek,-a stock rail, a guard rail spaced with in the stock-rail,bedplates'joining the bases of the stock'railand guard rail, blocksfitted between said stock and guard rails and'a switch tongue movablymounted on said blocks for directing movement of cars along the main orswitchtrack, said tongue having 'ahorizontailly projecting flange alongone side thereof that is adapted at the base end of the tongue, toengagewwith the web ofthe stock rail to retain that endof the tongueproperly in aiineinent with the rail with which it connects and when thetongue is in switching position to engage throughout its length beneaththe ball of the stock rail; said tongue being provided also along itsopposite edge and near the point with a horizontally projecting flangeadapted to eljigagc beneath the bail oi the guard rail when not inswitching position and a, yieldable connection be tween the stock railand switch tongue near its base end.

5. In a railway switch, a pair of stock rails leading from the rails ofa main track at one side 01" the switch, respectively, to the outer railof a switch track and to the outer rail of? the main line track at theother side of the switch a pair of guard rails spaced within the stockrails, switch tongues disposed between the stock rails and guard rails 1and joining at their base ends With a rail of the main line track andwith a rail of the switch track; said tongues having hori zontallyextending flanges along their outer edges adapted, at the base ends ofthe tongues, to engage with the stock rails to retain them properlyalined with the rails to which they lead and adapted, when. in oneposition, to engage beneath the bail portions of the stock rails andl'iaving horizontally projecting flanges along their inner edges adjacent the points adapted, when in the other switching position, toengage beneath the bell portions of the guard rails, yieldable meansconnecting the switch tongues and stock rails near the base ends of thetongues and means joining the movable ends of the switch tongues.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washing ton, this 22nd day of October1925.

ROBERT M. EVANS.

